Cook swats away Warne verdict

England captain Alastair Cook has brushed off criticism of his leadership from Shane Warne.

Warne, the great Australia leg-spinner, has retired to a punditry role and labelled Cook's tactics "very negative and defensive" in a newspaper column this week.

It was suggested by Warne that England's securing of a 3-0 lead in the Ashes series was in spite of the command of Cook, rather than because of his promptings in the field.

But with England dominant this summer, against an Australia side that faces a tall order to reclaim the upper hand when the teams meet again Down Under later in the year, Cook found it all too easy to swat away Warne's remarks.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but everyone knows Shane Warne is heavily involved in Australia's camp," Cook told the Daily Telegraph.

"Like most of the criticism thrown at us, we try not to let it affect either the individual or the team.

"The media is what it is. It is how we keep that noise from our world that is important."